University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, August 27
Greeley, Colo.
6 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Northwestern
Volleyball to play host to Wildcats and Coyotes
8/26/2021 10:41:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – The Bank of Colorado Arena will be home to a busy weekend of volleyball with both Northwestern and old North Central Conference foe South Dakota heading into town. Saturday's matchup against the Coyotes will also mark the retiring of UNC legend Erin Deffenbaugh's No. 5 jersey.
Who: Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0) vs Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) | Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0) vs. South Dakota (0-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, August 27 at 6 p.m. MT | Saturday, August 28 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Greely, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Following an impressive 3-1 exhibition over Wyoming, head coach Lyndsey Oates and company officially open its 2021 campaign with the Big Ten's Northwestern.
Friday marks the first official meeting between the two schools. However, the last time a Big Ten team walked into the Bank of Colorado Arena, Rutgers walked out with a loss, 3-1.
Junior outside hitter Makenzie Harris will step into a bigger role for the program. Though it was just an exhibition, Harris flexed her muscles against the Cowgirls for a match-high 17 kills.
Fellow junior Cece Huhn was a force on the inside for the Bears against Wyoming. The Cascade, Wisconsin native hit a team-high .471 with 11 kills.
Aggressive serving is always a staple for Oates' program. At 2.01 aces per set, no Big Sky team dialed up more aces than the Bears, and with eight on Friday night against Wyoming, expect that trend to continue.
Lawrence, Kansas product Rachel Hickman returns for her junior season with the Blue and Gold. Hickman started every match for the Bears last season, hitting an even .300. In the Big Sky Tournament semifinals, the lefty unleashed for 11 kills on .846 hitting, which re-wrote the conference tournament record.
Four new Bears have joined the team this fall. Kelsie Milkowski and Mimi Dunda have arrived in Greeley by way of Kansas City. Meanwhile, freshman Annette Baker and Maddie Davies look to provide even more depth on a stacked 2021 roster.
Last time out
Northern Colorado kicked off its season with a friend exhibition against its neighbors to the north in Wyoming. Despite dropping the opening set, the Bears rattled off three straight to win in front of a packed Bank of Colorado Arena.
Scouting Northwestern
Head coach Shane Davis enters his sixth season at the helm of the Wildcat program. A tumultuous 2021 spring season saw Northwestern go 4-6 with 12 matches canceled throughout the campaign.
Davis welcomes back a dynamic pair of outside hitters in Temi Thomas-Ailara and Abryanna Cannon. Thomas-Ailara led the team in kills last season with 154, hitting .241 and averaging 3.85 kills per set. Meanwhile, Cannon managed 98 kills but led the Wildcats at the service line with 15 aces.
History against the Wildcats
Friday marks the first official meeting between Northwestern and Northern Colorado. All-time, the Bears are 5-8 against the Big Ten conference, last beating Rutgers in 2019.
Scouting South Dakota
The reigning Summit League Champions arrive in Greeley looking to make another big splash in 2021. Head coach Leanne Williamson revives a talented roster from a year ago that includes AVCA All-Region Selection Elizabeth Juhnke. Juhnke led Coyotes and the Summit League in kills (337), kills per set (4.21) and total attacks (932).
Fellow All-Conference First Team members Sami Slaughter and Madison Harms also return to Vermillion. Slaughter was second on the team last season in kills per set at 2.63 while Harms led the conference in blocks with 76.
History against the Coyotes
As old North Central Conference rivals, South Dakota and Northern Colorado are no strangers. Since their first meeting in 1979, the Bears are 26-3 against the Coyotes.
Most recently, the two met in 2018 with South Dakota protecting its home court, 3-1. UNC last beat USD in 2017 in a five-set thriller.
On the Date
The Bears are 3-4 on August 26, and 2-4 on August 27. In 2011, UNC impressively swept UNLV at home in Bank of Colorado Arena.
Looking Ahead
Before heading to Denver next weekend, the Bears will play host to in-state rival Colorado State on Tuesday, August 31 at 6 p.m. MT.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Who: Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0) vs Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) | Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0) vs. South Dakota (0-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, August 27 at 6 p.m. MT | Saturday, August 28 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Greely, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
Following an impressive 3-1 exhibition over Wyoming, head coach Lyndsey Oates and company officially open its 2021 campaign with the Big Ten's Northwestern.
Friday marks the first official meeting between the two schools. However, the last time a Big Ten team walked into the Bank of Colorado Arena, Rutgers walked out with a loss, 3-1.
Junior outside hitter Makenzie Harris will step into a bigger role for the program. Though it was just an exhibition, Harris flexed her muscles against the Cowgirls for a match-high 17 kills.
Fellow junior Cece Huhn was a force on the inside for the Bears against Wyoming. The Cascade, Wisconsin native hit a team-high .471 with 11 kills.
Aggressive serving is always a staple for Oates' program. At 2.01 aces per set, no Big Sky team dialed up more aces than the Bears, and with eight on Friday night against Wyoming, expect that trend to continue.
Lawrence, Kansas product Rachel Hickman returns for her junior season with the Blue and Gold. Hickman started every match for the Bears last season, hitting an even .300. In the Big Sky Tournament semifinals, the lefty unleashed for 11 kills on .846 hitting, which re-wrote the conference tournament record.
Four new Bears have joined the team this fall. Kelsie Milkowski and Mimi Dunda have arrived in Greeley by way of Kansas City. Meanwhile, freshman Annette Baker and Maddie Davies look to provide even more depth on a stacked 2021 roster.
Last time out
Northern Colorado kicked off its season with a friend exhibition against its neighbors to the north in Wyoming. Despite dropping the opening set, the Bears rattled off three straight to win in front of a packed Bank of Colorado Arena.
Scouting Northwestern
Head coach Shane Davis enters his sixth season at the helm of the Wildcat program. A tumultuous 2021 spring season saw Northwestern go 4-6 with 12 matches canceled throughout the campaign.
Davis welcomes back a dynamic pair of outside hitters in Temi Thomas-Ailara and Abryanna Cannon. Thomas-Ailara led the team in kills last season with 154, hitting .241 and averaging 3.85 kills per set. Meanwhile, Cannon managed 98 kills but led the Wildcats at the service line with 15 aces.
History against the Wildcats
Friday marks the first official meeting between Northwestern and Northern Colorado. All-time, the Bears are 5-8 against the Big Ten conference, last beating Rutgers in 2019.
Scouting South Dakota
The reigning Summit League Champions arrive in Greeley looking to make another big splash in 2021. Head coach Leanne Williamson revives a talented roster from a year ago that includes AVCA All-Region Selection Elizabeth Juhnke. Juhnke led Coyotes and the Summit League in kills (337), kills per set (4.21) and total attacks (932).
Fellow All-Conference First Team members Sami Slaughter and Madison Harms also return to Vermillion. Slaughter was second on the team last season in kills per set at 2.63 while Harms led the conference in blocks with 76.
History against the Coyotes
As old North Central Conference rivals, South Dakota and Northern Colorado are no strangers. Since their first meeting in 1979, the Bears are 26-3 against the Coyotes.
Most recently, the two met in 2018 with South Dakota protecting its home court, 3-1. UNC last beat USD in 2017 in a five-set thriller.
On the Date
The Bears are 3-4 on August 26, and 2-4 on August 27. In 2011, UNC impressively swept UNLV at home in Bank of Colorado Arena.
Looking Ahead
Before heading to Denver next weekend, the Bears will play host to in-state rival Colorado State on Tuesday, August 31 at 6 p.m. MT.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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